Seventeen-year-old Bristol Palin got her ass knocked up five or so months ago by 18-year-old Levi Johnston. Among the hobbies listed on Levi's since-yanked MySpace page—"fishing, shoot some shit, and just profanityfilterprofanityfilterprofanityfilterprofa nityfilterin' chillin'"—was this revealing tidbit: "I don't want kids." But Bristol, says her mom, "made the decision on her own to keep the baby," and is now engaged to Levi "Shootin' Shit" Johnston.

As the adoptive parent of a child born to a pair of unwed teenagers, I'm certainly not in favor of abortion in all circumstances. But I believe that it's a choice teenagers should be able to make for themselves—with input from their families whenever possible—and, so it seems, does the GOP's VP nominee. Sarah Palin is pleased that her daughter made the decision—on her own—to keep the baby.

But Sarah Palin doesn't believe that other girls should be able to make their own decisions. Sarah Palin believes abortion should be illegal in almost every instance—including rape and incest. So Bristol Palin is being celebrated for making a choice that Sarah Palin would like to take away from all other American women. Apparently, today's GOP believes that choice is a special right reserved for the wayward daughters of Republican elected officials.

Oh, and Sarah Palin also believes that birth control shouldn't be made available to teenagers, she opposes medically accurate sex education, and she backs abstinence-until-marriage sex "education."

Sigh.

The GOP has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into abstinence "education" programs during the Bush years. I believe this enormous investment of public funds raises the obvious question: Are our children abstaining? Sarah Palin's aren't. Despite this massive outlay on the part of the American taxpayer and the example set by her Christian parents, Bristol Palin became sexually active while still in high school. Excuse me, but if abstinence education can't keep the daughter of the evangelical governor of Alaska off the rod, what hope is there for the daughters—and some of the sons—of average Americans?

I'm a cad for even writing this, of course, because shortly before Bristol and Levi were paraded before cheering throngs at the Republican National Convention, the Palins asked the media to respect their daughter's privacy.

Another special right: When it comes to respecting your family's privacy, Palin and the GOP see no need. They want to micromanage the most intimate aspects of your private life. And if their own kids fail to live up to the standards that Palin and the GOP seek to impose on your family, well, that's a private matter between the Palins, their daughter, their God, and the thousands of screaming imbeciles in elephant hats waving McCain/Palin signs on the floor of the Republican National Convention.

stlrtruck

09-10-2008, 03:14 PM

Personally, it doesn't matter what type of sex education you want to teach or not teach in schools. If kids want it, they're going to get it. It comes down to two things in regards to premarital sex/sexual activity. One, what are the parents teaching at home. Two, are the kids even listening. I'm sure there are plenty of Christian boys and girls who's parents preached and teached absitence until marriage but then the kids ended up being a pre-marital father or un-wed mother.

While I've done my best to raise my family with bibilical values and Christian beliefs, it doesn't matter if they don't find it within themselves to follow those standards.

Having two daughters, I am divided on the abortion issue. I believe it's wrong but I also know that if some jackass off the street rapes one of my daughters do I want to look in to the eyes of that person through a small child? The situation would have to be handled at that moment and I can only pray that I don't have to face it.

Trying to tell kids they can't have sex is like back in the day when the government told adults they couldn't have alcohol and we all know how that worked out.

Mosca

09-10-2008, 03:26 PM

stlrtruck, I applaud your stance; I think it makes sense. I think Savage's point is related to the issues of federally funded abstinence education instead of real medically accurate sex education: we are all paying for this, doesn't it make sense to ask if it actually works; and the privacy issue, where it's OK for the Palins to ask for respect for their privacy, but we are not allowed to ask for respect for ours. I think those are both good questions.

Regarding your question, the part that makes it hard is the understanding that it is not the child's fault. Could the act be redeemed through loving the child?

xfl2001fan

09-10-2008, 03:48 PM

Here's the thing. Palin is Pro-Life. She is pleased that her daughter is also Pro-Life. See the connection.

She wants to make Pro-Life (essentially) a law. Now, she doesn't have to be bothered with the political backlash should her daughter have chosen the (cleverly misnamed) "Pro-Choice" route.

So yeah, she's bound to be pleased both politically and personally that her daughter is going to continue with the circle of life. After all, two wrongs don't make a right, and killing an innocent child does not "right the mistake" of her daughters pregnancy.

Mosca

09-10-2008, 04:15 PM

xfl2001fan,

Isn't the point of the essay 1) abstinence education should be seriously questioned, and 2) privacy should be the right of all of us and not just a privileged few? That's what I got out of it. The pregnancy is just the tool used to illustrate the other issues, I think.

stlrtruck

09-10-2008, 04:32 PM

Isn't the question about "Freedom". While I may not agree with the choices of a lot of people on many stances, I live in a country that allows me and them the opportunity to voice their opinions, make decisions about their body, without the government telling me that I should do it a specific way.

The problem really becomes when others get "offended" by our stance and do things outside the law to make amends for it.

stlrtruck

09-10-2008, 04:34 PM

Regarding your question, the part that makes it hard is the understanding that it is not the child's fault. Could the act be redeemed through loving the child?

I don't know. When I think about it, I start to get outraged and borderline violent. Is it right? NO. Is it Christ like? Definitely not, but that's why I'm not Jesus Christ.

I'd rather not find out if I had my choices, but God has a funny way of testing us. I only pray He never tests me in that forum.

Mosca

09-10-2008, 04:42 PM

I don't know. When I think about it, I start to get outraged and borderline violent. Is it right? NO. Is it Christ like? Definitely not, but that's why I'm not Jesus Christ.

I'd rather not find out if I had my choices, but God has a funny way of testing us. I only pray He never tests me in that forum.

I agree. I don't know either.

Dino 6 Rings

09-10-2008, 05:13 PM

Facts:

In the 2006 governor campaign, Palin was asked about sex education by the conservative group Eagle Forum Alaska in a written questionnaire.

Here's the exchange:

Eagle Forum: Will you support funding for abstinence-until-marriage education instead of explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics, and the distribution of contraceptives in schools?

Palin: "Yes, the explicit sex-ed programs will not find my support."

But asked about Palin's views on sex education last week, Maria Comella, her spokeswoman in the vice-presidential campaign, said Palin "supports sex education in terms of teaching of contraceptives and everything." She doesn't support "abstinence-only" education, Comella said.

At any rate, the state has no standards or even a suggested curriculum for sex education, and Palin hasn't tried to change that, said Eric Fry, spokesman for the state Department of Education. Sex ed is up to local school districts. Anchorage teachers stress abstinence, but also talk about birth control.

Also during the 2006 campaign, Palin said she was pro-contraception but didn't specify what kind or what she thought about teens using birth control.

Dino 6 Rings

09-10-2008, 05:15 PM

Editorials are good and fun and all...but I prefer looking and digging for True Facts.

Sarah Palin's daugther didn't pay attention to any of the sex education she received, regardless of what type it was. Teenagers tend to mess up.

(as well as myriad other supposedly "liberal" social stances not relevant to this particular topic)

And I have no problem with Palin's stance on these issues, namely because she has not attempted to manipulate the system or legislate in favor of these personal choices of hers. What she does in her own family is her business, BUT if she were to become President AND started talking about overturning Roe v Wade (and she won't...it's political suicide) I'd yell longer and louder than most.

Dino 6 Rings

09-10-2008, 05:41 PM

Plus the President can't technically Over turn Roe V Wade. they would have to put very conservative judges up for the federal bench, who would then have to go before congress and get approval and then have to take a case that had Roe V Wade as the central issue and then, decide, with a majority vote, to claim the law to be illegal that allows abortion to occur. Thereby, making abortion illegal. The chances of all that happening, seem to be a little extreme and doesn't really explain the radicalness that comes from the pro-choice left.

augustashark

09-11-2008, 01:39 AM

Lets see what Obama thinks (votes).

6JoFVoPCMfg

xfl2001fan

09-11-2008, 08:09 AM

xfl2001fan,

Isn't the point of the essay 1) abstinence education should be seriously questioned, and 2) privacy should be the right of all of us and not just a privileged few? That's what I got out of it. The pregnancy is just the tool used to illustrate the other issues, I think.

Sorry, I should have quoted someone. It was in response to something that had been said above...but was apparently changed. Now I don't remember what was said, but I believe that it had to do with someone asking why Palin would have approved of such an action, (which made it seem as if that went against her sensibilities/voting record).